BY DOTUN IBIWOYE

THE last state-wide environmental sanitation exercise for the month of August was a first of its kind in the annals of Lagos state, dedicated to control  the spread of the Ebola Virus Disease, EVD.

Millions of Lagos residents came out en mass to clean up their environment.
Officials from the Ministry of Environment went round  and  demonstrated preventive steps and ways to prevent the spread of the disease.
The residents who  patronize cart pushers  have also been warned by the state government to desist from the act, .

The State government also released precautionary guidelines urging residents to observe and maintain high personal and environmental hygiene to prevent the outbreak of  Ebola.

Environmental hygiene
Vanguard gathered that there have been several reported cases of  hospitals that send away patients suspected to have traits of the Ebola virus- exhibition of symptoms associated with malaria, typhoid fever, diarrhoea and vomiting.

Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, confirmed that the State Government dedicated that month’s xercise to Ebola control.
He stressed that the State Government has zero tolerance for acts such  as defecating and urinating in the public, street trading, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and constructions of structures along drainage alignments.

Bello also affirmed that  as a responsible and responsive Government, the present administration would continue to be in the forefront of the campaign for a healthier and sustainable environment.

“Now that we have an index case of the Ebola virus disease in the state, this is  another wakeup call for all Lagosians to desist from unhygienic acts that could spread the disease. Over the years the present administration had embarked on massive public enlightenment to educate Lagosians on the need to desist from unhygienic acts like open urination and defecation, he said

Bello also advised  Lagosians to sustain the Solid Waste Management Programme of the State Government through the patronage of LAWMA/PSP operators for the disposal of their solid waste and LSWMO for waste water management challenges.

Advancing  reasons  for some hospitals rejecting Ebola suspected patients, Dr. Francis Duru, Associate Professor, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said they do so  because many of these hospitals know that Ebola virus is highly contagious.

According to him, ‘’Most private hospitals may be avoiding patients because they lack facilities like isolation or quarantine units, personal protection equipment (PPE) and trained personnel to carry out the necessary care.

“Secondly, laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis requires equipment, reagents and trained personnel that most hospitals don’t have. It would have been a disaster if the index case had been treated in any of the many run-of-the- mill private hospitals in Lagos”, he said

“While the response of many hospitals may encourage self medication, an intense health enlightenment campaign should be mounted to educate the general public on how the infection is acquired and transmitted and how to minimize the risk of contracting the virus.’’